Vazquez's Mad Dash, Morel's Homer Lead Eugene to Victory

In the rubber match between the Hillsboro Hops and Eugene Emeralds, Jeffrey Passantino and the Emeralds outdueled the Hops 6-2. The Hops sent 22-year-old pitcher Franklyn Soriano to the mound against the Ems, and though Hillsboro jumped out to a two-nothing lead on a Joey Rose double, the lead wouldn't hold.

In need of a shut-down inning, Eugene answered the Hops two early scores with a solo shot courtesy of outfielder Jonathan Sierra, who blasted one onto the berm in right field. In a wild sequence in the top of the sixth, the Emeralds capitalized on a missed pickoff attempt scoring Kwang-Min Kwon. Outfielder Nelson Velazquez struck out swinging on the next pitch, but on the throw down to first to complete the strikeout, infielder Luis Vazquez took off for home and managed to beat the return throw from Hops first baseman Francis Martinez.
After two clean innings from 2017 Northwest League All-Star Luis Aquino, the Ems' put the game away in the top of the ninth, taking a four-run lead via a Christopher Morel blast to left field, bringing the score to 6-2.
The Hops look to rebound tomorrow night against the first-place Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, another I-5 rival.
First pitch is at 7:05 PM. watch the action live on NBC Sports Northwest, or tune into 1190 KEX.